Registrar who refused same-sex weddings takes case to Court of Appeal

"Bullied": Lillian Ladele said conducting civil partnerships for gay couples went against her faith

A registrar who claims she was discriminated against by her council employers for refusing to conduct same-sex civil partnerships is today taking her case to the Court of Appeal.

Lillian Ladele, 48, a Christian, said she could not "marry" gay couples "as a matter of religious conscience".

She claims the ensuing "harassment and bullying" she suffered at the hands of Islington council, her employers, amounted to unlawful discrimination.

An employment tribunal found that the council unlawfully discriminated against her but this was overturned last year by an employment appeal tribunal.

Today Ms Ladele, of Finsbury, took the case to the Court of Appeal to overturn the second tribunal.

She claims she suffered ridicule and bullying as a result of her stance and said she had been harassed and discriminated against by the council. She had been employed by Islington since 1992, and became a registrar in November 2002 dealing with births, marriages and deaths.

But in 2006 when the council said all registrars must carry out same-sex civil partnerships she refused on the grounds of her religious beliefs.

She was switched to other duties and remained employed until the end ofSeptember this year but is now out of work.

The employment appeal tribunal ruled last year that the earlier tribunal had "erred in law" and there was no basis for concluding that any "discrimination had been established".

The decision stated: "The council were not taking disciplinary action against Ms Ladele for holding her religious beliefs.

"They did so because she was refusing to carry out civil partnership ceremonies and this involved discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation.

"The council were entitled to take the view that they were not willing to connive in that practice by relieving Ms Ladele of the duties, notwithstanding that her refusal was the result of her strong and genuinely held Christian beliefs."